House of Cards
by LilyAnneMarie
Summary: When three marriages are falling apart, will they be able to fix them? Or will the pieces of their lives be lost... forever?
1. Drenched In Wine

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**I do not own Twilight.**

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Bella Cullen walked home through the streets of Chicago, guilt written across her face. She really shouldn't feel bad or at least have gotten over it by now. For months she had been doing it, without getting caught by her husband. So why did she feel like skum? Why did she feel like the bottom of the food chain? The breezy Chicago air seemed like a wakeup call to her, making her shiver and shake, from the coldness or fear, she wasn't quite sure. Her hands were dug to the bottom of her black cloth coat.

"Mrs. Cullen," Jacob, the doorman, greeted her.

"Jacob," she replied. "How's Renesmee?"

"Good, good," he said. "Actually, we're expecting our first."

"Congratulations!" Bella exclaimed. "Wow, that's incredible!"

"Thanks," Jacob said, a huge grin covering his face. "Yup, I'm going to be a father."

Bella smiled. "Well, I gotta go. Congratulations again!"

He tipped his black cap. "Thanks! Have a fantastic day!"

Bella sighed as soon as she walked through the glass doors. A child was all she ever wanted. The day the doctor told her she could never conceive was heartbreaking. Perhaps that was the day she gave up. Trudging up the stairs, she entered her penthouse.

"Edward?" she called, shutting the door and hanging up her jacket. "Edward, I'm home!"

She turned the corner to see her husband with his head in his hands. He was angry, that was evident. But... why?

"Edward!" she exclaimed, racing to his side. She began to probe his head to check for illness. He held up a large hand to silence her.

"I'm not sick," he said simply.

She raised an eyebrow and stopped her examination. "Then why--"

He held up another hand. That's how they sat for a while--silenced. An intent gaze was shared between them, one of which Bella could not comprehend.

"You're going to have to give me some answers," she murmured after a few moments. It broke the silence of the dark room. Edward looked up, his green eyes furious. This made Bella step away from the chair in fear.

Then, very quietly, Edward murmured through gritted teeth, "How long?"

She examined her face with her chocolate brown eyes. "How long what?"

His face became blank as he held her stare. "How long have you been cheating on me?"

At that instant, her heart stopped dead. He knew. She was trying to hide it, but he knew. How? How was her hard work broken?

"Edward," she managed to force out. "I... I'm sorry."

His eyes were sad. "Sorry doesn't cut it."

They were silent. Nothing was thrown. No words were passed. They just... existed. Together.

"You never answered my question," Edward pressed after a moment.

She let out a small sigh. Her eyes avoided his as she stood up and walked to the large oak bureau in the corner of the room to pour herself a drink. The deep purple wine reflected off the glass. A heavy drink was needed before she responded.

"Three months," she replied quietly, staring at the contents of her drink.

The shock was well masked for Edward. You see, he had many drinks before she arrived. He nodded and stood up, heading over for another. They avoided each other's gaze or touch as they passed. Bella's eyes were trained on her glass. Edward's eyes were trained on the wine bottle in the distance. He poured himself another glass of the purple poison.

"Who is he?" he asked quietly, not wanting the answer, yet still wanting it at the same time.

She laughed quietly through her sadness. "You really don't want to know."

He looked up from his pouring. "Oh, I think you're wrong."

She met his eyes and knew she owed it to him to tell him. With a sigh, she looked at the floor and admitted "Mike Newton."

She wanted him to throw the wine glass at her. She wanted him to attack her. He should have thrown her out! But instead he simply nodded and asked "Why?"

This puzzled her. "Why what?"

He looked back at his cup and continued pouring. "Why did you feel like you had to cheat?"

This struck a nerve inside her. The truth was, she thought since she couldn't get pregnant with Edward, maybe she could get pregnant with Mike. But to tell him that... it would break his heart. So instead she shrugged and said "I don't know."

She didn't have to say it. Edward already knew. Lies would help nothing.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She had to ask.

"So where does this leave us?" she asked.

He turned to look at her. The sadness his eyes held said everything. She nodded and sat back in her chair. Edward headed into the room they once shared and fished out the suitcase he had packed earlier. With a quick farewell their eyes shared, he left.

And that's how our first marriage fell apart. A loveless marriage. Lies. Deceit. And now they're paying for it.

**Author's Note: This one is sad. It's probably going to be six parts, how they fell apart and how they ended. So yup, this is a really short story. The song below just started playing when I was writing this.**

**_No we're not gonna work this out tonight. No we're not gonna make this right. So I'll give a kiss and say goodnight. 'Cause we're not gonna work this out, tonight... _Reviews? Comments? Click that button!**

**--Lauren :D**


	2. Down The Toilet

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**I do not own Twilight.**

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"Rosalie!" a furious Emmett McCarty boomed through the home of their penthouse. "Rosalie give me the pills!"

It's been a roller coaster this past year for Rosalie McCarty. She married the "love of her life" Emmett McCarty only to find out two months later he was addicted to pills. Emmett played football, and he thought he needed the steroids to "bulk up." As hard as she tried, she couldn't accept it. So today she made a bold move. She stole them and was planning on flushing them. Unfortunately, Emmett found out. And today, he was high and angry.

"I'm not letting you do this to yourself!" Rosalie called from the bathroom where she had locked herself in. It would only be a matter of seconds before Emmett would take the door down. She dropped them into the toilet and flushed them, watching as they drowned in the water and went down.

"ROSALIE!" Emmett hollered from behind the door. The clean white door came crashing down and Emmett was huffing in the doorway. His eyes were burning with anger, and glassed over from the drugs. Rosalie braced herself, anticipating what was coming. She didn't know how far he would go. But she did know she was fearful. Emmett ran to the toilet and began splashing through the toilet water, hoping to retriever his pills.

"Emmett," Rosalie said timidly and quietly. "Emmett, they're gone."

He turned towards her, his eyes burning like a monster. But she didn't believe that. Emmett wasn't a monster... right?

"I NEEDED THOSE PILLS!" he screamed in her face. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE NOT TO BE BIG ENOUGH?! I NEEDED TO BULK UP!"

She cowered back against the wall. "Emmett," she tried to say. "Emmett, you can find another way.

"How Rosalie?!" he roared. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BULK UP IN A WEEK?!"

She winced at the vicious tone her husband was now inflicting upon her. "Well... Emmett...," she began, searching for words. "You could... go to the gym?"

He slammed his eyes shut and smacked a nearby shampoo bottle.

"THE GYM?!" he roared. "YOU EXPECT THE GYM TO HELP ME?!

"Emmett...," Rosalie said. "If they find out about the steroids... you'll be off the te--"

"I HAD THAT HANDLED!" Emmett screeched. "YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THE DETAILS!"

Rosalie cringed. Very boldly, she reached forward to put a comforting hand on her husband.

"Emmett," she murmured. "You're high. You don't know what you're saying. Just... come on."

He snatched up her hand in his and held it above her head.

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO," he hollered, chucking her at the wall.

And there she lay, harmed more emotionally than physically. That was when she snapped. That was when she made a decision.

"Emmett, it's either those pills---" she gestured to the toilet. "Or me."

He snarled. "I guess I take the pills." he hissed.

She nodded and kept her tearful eyes on the floor. With a simple "I see." she headed off to the room she once shared with him, locking the door behind her. Twenty minutes later, her clothes were packed neatly in two suitcases. She stopped at the doorway to catch one glimpse of him, his head buried in his hands, seated in an arm chair. And then she left.

Forever.

**Author's Note: I know, I know. Short. And suckish. But I wrote this in about ten minutes, as you can tell. I just want to say this was one of the hardest things I've ever written. I just can't imagine Emmett that way. But you know. That's life.**

**_Can't read my, can't read my, No he can't read my poker face. (She's got me like nobody) Can't read my, can't read my, No he can't read my poker face! (She's got me like nobody)... _Reviews? Comments? Click that button!**

**--Lauren :D**


	3. Shattered

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**I do not own Twilight.**

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Alice Whitlock sat in a silent corner of her home. She was hiding. Hiding from her husband. It had been one year since they wed. One year she had believed he would change. One year of her life wasted.

"ALICE!" her husband hollered, slamming the front door of their tiny apartment. The tiny pixie cringed at the sound of the door.

Hopefully he wouldn't notice her. Hopefully she could stay in this dark corner and blend in with the wall, right?

Wrong.

A very angry Jasper found her hiding in the corner. This did not please him. His normally pale face turned bright red with anger. Wreching her from her corner, he began to yell.

"WERE YOU _HIDING_ FROM ME?!" he shouted. "DO NOT _HIDE_ FROM ME!"

A minuscule Alice began to shake fervently. Not that she could help it! Her "perfect husband" turned out to be a giant green fire breathing dragon. You know, the ones you used to read about in your fairytale books? Yeah, those.

"I... I just...," Alice stuttered, looking for a believable excuse. "I just... I was... relaxing..."

He slapped her on her smooth cheek, leaving a bright red mark. "DON'T LIE TO ME!"

Alice ran her hand over the burning spot on her cheek. Hot tears fell down over it, leaving a strangely warm sensation.

"I... I'm sorry," she whispered, not wanting to meet his eyes.

His eyes burned holes into her head. He left, leaving his wife in her misery. Alice lay down on the rough carpeting, giving into her tears if only for a moment. She ran her hands over the carpeting, feeling it bristle beneath her fingertips. She liked that... feeling. Soon, she stood up and decided it was time to begin dinner. Once in her small kitchen, she pulled out two chicken breasts and a white rice and began to prepare dinner, just like a usual night. But this wouldn't be a usual night. This would be a tragic night for both her and her husband. But no one can predict the future. Not even Alice Whitlock.

"This tastes like SHIT!" Jasper complained, shoving his dish of rice and chicken onto the floor. Alice stiffened at the sound of her angered husband.

"I... I'm sorry," she apologized, leaning down to clean up the mess of rice and broken ceramics.

Jasper's eyes were glazed over with anger. He stared with disgust down on his wife who was so kind heartedly cleaning up his mess. In a very swift movement, he leaned his foot out and kicked her in the rib. The small Alice went down, crying out in pain. A malevolent smile played across Jasper's lips. He seemed to be enjoying this-- the sound of his wife's screams. So he kicked her again, this time much, much harder. Alice cried out again, hoping someone would hear her.

_If he hits you once, he will hit you again._

That couldn't be true... right? Jasper must have had reasons. Alice must have done something wrong. He didn't enjoy his dinner. That was good enough... right?

Wrong.

A banging was heard on their front door.

"OPEN UP!" a voice hollered.

Jasper left a battered Alice in the kitchen to go answer the door. It was Angela Cheney, the shy and quiet neighbor who lived next door with her husband, Ben. In the past year they had lived next door, only twice had the two families made contacts.

"What are you doing to her?" Angela demanded boldly, pushing her way past Jasper and into the apartment. That's when she saw a beaten Alice lying partially unconscious on the floor. The sight was enough to make her gasp.

"You monster!" she yelled, turning to point an accusing finger at Jasper.

"N..No...," Alice said weakly. "I... I fell."

Angela raced over to help her neighbor up.

"It's okay," she cooed, rubbing her back. "We're getting you out of here."

Jasper moved to block the door. "It's fine. Really."

But he was no match for Angela. After all, you were strong when you needed to be, right? She shoved past him and out the door into her apartment, locking the door on a very shocked Jasper's face.

And that's how our final marriage fell apart. One thing lead to another. One by one, all they knew was falling. But they couldn't stop it. It was like... a house of cards.

_Every 9 seconds, a woman is battered in the U.S._

_95% of all victims of domestic violence are women._

_Domestic Violence is the single major cause of injury to women, more than muggings and car accidents combined._

_Domestic Violence is the cause of 30% of physical disabilities in women._

_50% of all women murdered in the United States are killed by a spouse or an acquaintance._

_Domestic Violence occurs in 60% of marriages and is the most underreported crime._

_90% of battered women reported that their children were present when they were beaten._

_25% to 30% of adolescent relationships are abusive._

_1/2 of all rape victims are raped between the ages of 14 and 17._

_As few as 5% of domestic violence victims are identified as such in Emergency Department records._

_Domestic Violence costs an estimated $1.4 billion annually in medical bills, and an additional $900 million in mental health treatment._

_Domestic Violence is responsible for a $3 to 5 billion loss each year for employers due to absenteeism._

_Domestic violence is a very serious issue that many women--- and even men--- face today. This is not something to be taken lightly. If you know someone who is a victim of abuse, or if you are one yourself, please, report it to your local authorities._

**Author's Note: This marriage is similar to the last one... but not really. And YES I know Jasper, much like Emmett, wouldn't abuse his wife. It's just a story. Chill, people. There's a reason it's called FanFICTION. Even though it probably wouldn't happen in Twilight, it does happen in real life. And that's the point of this chapter-- to raise awareness! So if you know a victim, or if you are one yourself, don't stay in the relationship. Please, report it to the authorities. If he hits you once, HE WILL HIT YOU AGAIN. He/she lies. Yes, Oprah is very deep. But she's right. And this is one of those things that, though I may not be a victim, I take very seriously.**

**_But you put on quite a show! Really had me going. But now it's time to go. Curtain's finally closing. That was quite a show! Very entertaining. But it's over now. Go on and take a bow... _Reviews? Comments? Click that button!**

**--Lauren :D**


	4. My Love

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**I do not own Twilight.**

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Bella Swan wrapped her thin black raincoat tighter around her waist. The hood covered her face, which was filled with sadness and shame. These past few days she spent crying and regreting everything she did to her husband. She paced over to the attendant at the desk for her flight. The woman was dressed in a royal blue suit with a white button-down blouse beneath it. A dull red tie was tied around her neck, and she kept a very fake smile on her face when she addressed customers.

"Excuse me," Bella said. "How much longer until the flight to Seattle leaves?"

"Twenty minutes," the attendant responded, giving her a bright and shiny smile.

"Thanks," Bella responded, heading back to her seat.

O' Hare Airport was crowded this time of year. Men and women shoved their way through throngs of people trying to get to their terminal. Small children tugged on the sleeves of their parents. Young couples strolled lovingly through the corridors, not even noticing the bunches of people. Bella missed that... the honeymoon phase. It was a memory that well burned into her mind. A memory that she couldn't get out. There was a time when she could say that was her and her husband. But could she now?

No. Of course not.

Bella sighed, repressing tears, and rest her head back against her leather seat.

Alice Brandon waved farewell to her friend Angela as she walked through the light drizzle into the dim airport. Angela was a saint, she really was. It took courage to do what she did. And Alice would be forever grateful.

It's funny how you can love someone so much and watch your happy life with them disintegrate right before your very eyes. Your heart aches, you feel like you can't go on, you cry yourself to sleep every night. That was how Alice felt. Her bruises and black eye were healing up quite nicely. But the emotional pain was still there... it would always be there. Nothing could heal the giant gaping hole in her heart.

Alice pushed her way through the crowds of people, all seemingly happy. The automated machines showed when her flight would arrive. Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes until her flight to Seattle left. Twenty minutes to a new life. She stopped at a small Starbuck's stand to buy some coffee. It was near her terminal, so it didn't take her long to find a seat in the near full lobby. The girl beside her had long, curly, dark brown hair that hung just below her shoulders. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks. The girl looked in pain. Alice could relate. Life had obviously been hard for her-- maybe as hard as Alice's.

Rosalie Hale ambled down the halls, hoping for a miracle. Maybe he would come and stop her. Maybe they would share this amazing kiss, just like in the movies. But, oh yeah, that's right.

They were the movies.

She hugged her arms around her torso, scanning the signs for Terminal G. Her flight was boarding in a few minutes. Luckily, she was tall enough that she could see over the heads of the bustling people. Found it. As she wandered over, into her seat, she fought tears. He had picked pills over her. Her! The supposed love of his life. Love isn't fair. Love sucks.

She hadn't realized traitor tears were making their way down her cheeks. In a very swift movement, she wiped them away, turning the opposite way of the tiny pixie with spiky black hair who was sitting next to her.

"You don't have to hide it," the tiny pixie said, looking up to meet Rosalie's eyes. Rosalie looked curiously upon the stranger. Why would she care? What do her feelings mean to this complete and total stranger?

Rosalie shook her head. "W-why?"

"I... I'm not going to," Alice admitted, letting a tear slide down the side of her face. She turned to the girl next to her. "You don't have to either."

Bella laughed and sobbed at the same time. "I... I can't... Not in the airport."

Alice hugged the girl. "I understand. I understand sadness more than you know."

Bella smiled but turned away to watch the people load.

***

The roar of the engine kept everyone awake on the plane. Rosalie, Alice, and Bella sat side by side on the plane, all dead silent. They were flying over Nebraska. Finally, the silence between the three was getting to Bella. She turned to Rosalie.

"What's your story?" she asked.

Rosalie raised an eyebrow curiously. "My... my story?"

"Why you're here," Bella explained. "If it isn't too personal."

Rosalie shook her head. "It's fine. Well... I was happy. I was married. I had everything a girl could ever want. But... I don't know. Maybe I was missing something important." She told her story, from start to finish. Bella listened, her eyes tearing up for this poor stranger. In turn, Bella told hers. Alice listened silently, her gaze out the window and onto the white fluffy clouds. Tears drifted down her cheeks without her notice.

"What about you?" Bella asked, turning to Alice.

Alice shook her head. "I loved him. He... he loved me, too, I think. But... but sometimes that isn't enough."

The girls all told their stories of pain and anguish. But you know what the shock was? The shock was they could all relate. These total strangers could all relate. They laughed together, they cried together, and it was all in a matter of minutes. Maybe they could have been great friends, too, if it weren't for the captain's next announcement.

"Mayday, mayday," he announced in an alarmed voice. "Brace yourselves! We're going down!"

Those words were so blunt. Silence crossed the plane, with the exception of the flight attendants calling out orders. "Heads down! Stay down!"

But they knew they were going to die. And in those last few moments you have to tell the person you love you love them. Alice pulled out her phone and entered a quick message.

_No matter what, I love you. Forever and always._

Tears streaming down her face, she entered the one number she hadn't entered in days and pressed send.

Rosalie pulled out her iPhone and began typing at the speed of light.

_I'm going to die, Emmett. But... I just want you to know... I love you. I've always loved you, and I always will. Goodbye..._

But Bella knew what she had to do. She knew it the moment the captain came on the intercom. She pulled out her tiny silver cell phone and dialed his number.

"Hello," his sad and broken, yet sweet and melodic voice, answered.

"Edward," she breathed, a hint of grief in her voice.

"Bella!" he said, alarmed. "Bella, what's wrong?"

"Edward, I'm going to die," she confessed into the phone. "My plane... it's going down. But it doesn't matter. I just want you to know... I love you. I made a huge mistake and... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'll never forgive myself for it. But... I still love you. I will, even in death. Goodbye, Edward..."

"Bella," Edward called into the phone. "Bella, please, don't go. I love you, too. I'm sorry. You're not going to die. You're not going to die. Don't say that... don't say goodbye."

Bella shed a single tear as she felt the plane dropping.

"Goodbye... my love," she said, shutting the phone.

My love. Final farewells are always terrifying. Maybe they made the biggest mistakes of their lives getting on that plane. Or maybe that's just the way their lives were planned out. No matter what they believed, it was destiny that they came to that realization, that moment. But not every plane can have a Miracle on the Hudson. And not every plane can be manned by Captain Sully. Everyone was silent as the plane took a nose dive into the land below.

**Author's Note: I thought this chapter was really sad! I was on the verge of tears writing this, though it wasn't that great Lol. But you have to admit, it was kinda sad. Even if I'm a sucky writer, it's still depressing that someone's dying. I kinda made Bella's the most significant because she was the one who made the mistake. And we all know how hard it is to say "I'm sorry." Again, this is just a story to occupy time, so there'll probably be two more chapters and then that's it. Thanks so much to my AMAZING readers/subscribers/favoriters/reviewers. I love you guys so much :D**

**_So close to reaching that famous happy ending. Almost believing this one's not pretend! And now you're beside me and look how far we've come! So far, we are, so close... _Reviews? Comments? Click that button!**

**--Lauren :D**


	5. Coming To Join You

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**I do not own Twilight.**

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**Author's Note: I'm putting the author's note up here, because I don't want to ruin the ending. This one is still sad, but I liked the last one better. In some ways, this one is kinda happy. Well, not really. But next chapter will be. Yes, one more chapter after this. I already had a million ideas for this story today, and in order to shut up the "voices in my head", I had to jot them down. Right now. So I'm uber excited. Sorry I had to kill them off in teams, though. Originally, this was supposed to be a longer story. But I just have so many stories, I can't handle more than 6 chapters for this one. Sorry. QUESTION AND ANSWER IS STILL OPEN! Ask a question, then check for your answer on Laurel (Psychic-Porsche-3) and my joint account, coming soon. ASK A QUESTION OR ELSE I WILL NEVER WRITE THE LAST CHAPTER! LOL! I'll just curl up in a corner, and cry, and cry, and cry. I've gotten two questions so far, and they're really funny. SO ASK! ASK! ASK! And go on Laurel's profile, read her stories, then ask her, too. DO IT! DO IT! Pwease *puppy dog face*.**

**_It's too late to apologize, it's too late. I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late! It's too late to apologize, yeah. I said it's too late to apologize, yeah- I'm holdin on your rope, got me ten feet off the ground..._ Reviews? Comments? Click that button!**

**--Lauren :D**

The road zipped out from beneath Edward Cullen's tires. The silver Volvo zipped down the streets of Chicago, disregarding the few pedestrian on the dark streets. She couldn't be dead. She wasn't. He wouldn't let her be! True love never died. A fool he was to let her slip away. And it was all his fault.

His fault.

The words rang in his head like a church bell, only making him press harder on the gas pedal. His small black flip phone burned a whole into the side of his head as he waited for it to ring. She would be okay. She was alive and healthy. His wife was alive and healthy.

The black rubber tires squealed as he pulled into a gas station.

"Damn it!" he yelled, slamming his balled fist onto the gray steering wheel.

"Bella!" he called to the heavens. "Why did you have to do this to me?"

Blackened clouds covered the purple midnight sky. A new moon was up in the sky, like the new life Edward Cullen would have to live without the love of his life.

_**Edward Cullen**_

I slammed my door shut after I climbed out of my car. Why did she have to do this to me? I needed her! That phrase, you don't know what you've got until it's gone... it's so true. Bella was a gift, a goddess. I didn't know that until I walked out that door. This was my fault, not hers.

My heart sank into my chest. There was one person who could have prevented this: me. The airport wasn't too far away from our penthouse. Probably a ten minute drive, I think. Not even drive. Ten minute _walk_! I kicked the large black front left tire of my Volvo. Love was insane. Love was stupid. Love destroyed us.

I walked through the cloudy glass doors of the gas station, ready to buy a pack of cigarettes. I had never smoked before, but hey, there's a first time for everything. I set the small white box on the dirty wooden counter. A short bald man with jeans and a filthy white t-shirt stood behind the counter.

"Th-this all?" he stuttered in a nervous Spanish accent.

I nodded. His trembling hands swiped the package across the scanner, creating a small beep. I set a green five-dollar bill on the counter as he pushed the box into a small brown paper bag. I could see Bella's reaction if she were here with me right now. How her chocolate brown eyes would narrow, a crease forming between her neatly-plucked eyebrows. Her pasty white arms would cross across her thin torso. "Edward, don't be so wreckless," she would scold. I scan the small white box.

"Actually, I changed my mind," I said, pushing the box away. "I'll just get a coffee."

The man nodded and turned to the coffee maker behind him, pouring the brown liquid into the white Styrofoam cup. He capped it, keeping the white steam enclosed in the cup.

"Here you go," he muttered, pushing the cup towards me.

"Thanks... keep the change," I said, turning to the small sitting area they had towards the back.

"M-man, you better go," he urged.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him. "Why?"

He shifted his weight, looking behind him.

**_Emmett McCarthy_**

My black iPhone ripped a gaping hole in my heart. Everytime I looked at it, the hole would just enlarge. She was gone. She was really gone. I hadn't thought her name since I got the message... it would be too painful. Almost as painful as the fact that I caused this. I made her leave. My perfect angel left because I was an addict. She was only trying to do what was best for me, but I was a fool.

My heart ached as I picked up the phone from its spot in the cupholder of my car, checking for another message. Please, just say you were kidding. Say you're okay. Say... say you love me. Say you forgive me for my mistakes. Rosalie. Please.

No message. Of course.

Why did life have to have such dramatic twists and turns? Why did my life have to be a tragic movie? There were no happily ever afters, right?

I pulled into the small brick gas station of Chicago. La Oasis. They were overpriced, but I didn't care. Climbing out of the car, I slid my hand into the pocket of my black leather jacket, pulling out the small white pill bottle. The pills rattled inside as I rolled it around in my fingers.

No. I wouldn't do this.

"NEVER AGAIN!" I screamed, chucking the bottle into the street. It bobbed up and down before a car came and crushed it to a pulp. My eyes shut. The grief of losing my soul mate overtook the need for pills. I stormed into the gas station, slamming the dirty glass door behind me. The bell rang quietly. I scanned the room. Only the cashier and a man with copper hair stood, eyes wide.

I grabbed a six-pack of beer. Drowning my sorrows seemed the logical solution for everything that happened. I walked up to the cash register and set the pack down, pulling out my wallet.

"Get out of here," the copper-haired man whispered to me. His eyes were blood-shot and pained.

I looked at him as if he were crazy. "Why?"

He shook his head and pressed his finger to the bridge of his nose. "Save yourself."

That's when I saw him. A man crouched behind the register, wired with explosives. His hand was on the trigger.

"I'M GONNA BLOW THIS PLACE TO PIECES!" he shouted.

**_Jasper Whitlock_**

You know in movies, when something tragic happens, depressing music always play. Well, in real life, it doesn't work that way. Despite how long I drove around the city, past Marshall Fields, down the streets with the many street performers, I couldn't find any hope. I was a bastard. I _abused_ my wife. Alice was so tiny and so full of love, she didn't deserve anything that terrible to happen to her. And now she was... dead.

My foot slammed down onto the gas pedal as my shiny black Ford Five-Hundred roared in response. The nightlife of the city roared past me. There was only one thing I wanted right now: cigarettes and beer. Maybe later I'd go to a bar and get a whiff of the smoky, hazy air. I'd become a sobbing drunk. A sobbing, lifeless, drunk. Anything to fill this emptiness. I turned into La Oasis gas station, my money in hand. Beer and cigarettes. And lots of them. I knew where I was going. I opened the foggy glass door, when I heard yelling.

"I'M GONNA BLOW THIS PLACE TO PIECES!"

Three men stood near the counter, their faces ridden with horror. A man with shoulder length black hair and five-o'-clock-shadow leaped up from behind the counter, his hand on... on a detonator? Orange bars of explosives were wrapped around his chest.

"This is for Jenny!" he shouted, his hand clamping down on the button.

"Alice, I'm coming," I whispered, my eyes closing as I saw a vision of my wife.

I could have sworn the two of the other men muttered names, like "Bella" and "Rosalie." But before I had time to blink, everything went black.

_And so it goes..._


	6. Angels

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**I do not own Twilight.**

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Four years had passed since the terrible incidents that cost those six their lives. The horrid experiences had been plastered on every magazine and newspaper cover across America. Television programs had specials on them. Many would watch and say "That's terrible." And then they would go back to eating their dinner, worrying about the next big thing.

It was one of those rare warm days in Chicago. People of the city had all taken the opportunity to go down to the beach adjoined with Lake Michigan. Jacob Black and his wife, Renesmee, has taken their three year old daughter down to the shore to take advantage of the beautiful day. Unlike most, the Blacks actually acknowledged the loss of those individuals. Hence the reason their daughter had been named Ella Emilie Jasmine Alice Black. A long name with lots of meaning.

Though she was theirs, their daughter had taken on strange features. She had emerald green eyes with black slightly curly hair. Blonde highlights showed in the sun. She had a tendency to trip over things, and was very much in key with everyone's emotions. No one thought much of it, though. Just a coincidence.

Ella, who insisted upon being called Ellie, giggled as she played with her mound of grainy white sand. Being stubborn, she refused help from her father. Sand drizzled down the sides of the tall pyramid-like heap as she piled more on the top. Her parents were in the water, splashing each other like they were young children again. Ellie turned to watch the evident love in her parents eyes, smiling to herself. Picture perfect family. Or at least in the eyes of a toddler. She leaped up to go join her parents in the water, grabbing her pink inflatable water wings. She giggled as she ran horizontally down the shore, trying to find her parents. On the way, since she wasn't paying attention, she bumped into a tall man with copper colored hair. He stood with a group of five other adults, all wearing white swimsuits. A tall blonde girl held hands with a muscular man with curly brown hair. Another man with blonde hair held hands with a short girl with spiky black hair. The short girl's arm was hooked with a slightly curly brunette girl with chocolate brown eyes who hung on the copper haired man's arm, smiling at his every word. Her water wings went flying as she stared at the man who met her with emerald green eyes. There was something familiar about this man...

"I...I'm sowwy," she said in her sweet three-year-old accent.

The man smiled, handing her her fully-blown water wings. "You're fine. Here, sweetie."

Ellie smiled as she hugged the water wings. "Thank you."

"Not a problem," the man said.

"What's your name, hun?" the blonde girl asked.

"Ella Emilie Jasmine Alice Black," Ellie stated proudly, keeping her chin to the sky. "But most call me Ellie."

"Ellie," the brunette girl mused. "I like it." She looked down to the ground and smiled at a memory.

Then, the blonde man's black iPhone vibrated. Ellie hadn't noticed it in his hand before, but it must have been. It couldn't have just appeared.

"Who is it?" the burly man asked.

"The boss," the blonde man replied. "He wants us back at the Pearly Gates. Elizabeth wants to show us how to knit."

The black haired girl laughed. "Will that woman ever give it a rest?"

The group shared a brief laugh.

"Well, we best be going. Goodbye, Ellie. Be good for your parents. You don't know how long they waited for you," the brunette girl said.

The six adults linked hands as they walked to the edge of the shore. In a bright flash of white, creating a golden halo above their heads, they disappeared.

"Whoa...," Ellie said to herself.

"Ellie! Ellie, come on! We're going out to lunch!" her mother called.

Ellie turned to see her parents running down the shore, wrapped in beach towels.

"Mommy! Mommy, I saw angels!" Ellie yelled, running into her parents arms.

In the clouds above, six familiar faces were formed, all smiling down on the city of Chicago and Ellie, herself.

_"I sit and wait  
Does an angel contemplate my fate  
And do they know  
The places where we go  
When we're grey and old  
'cos I have been told  
That salvation lets their wings unfold  
So when I'm lying in my bed  
Thoughts running through my head  
And I feel the love is dead  
I'm loving angels instead_

_And through it all she offers me protection  
A lot of love and affection  
Whether I'm right or wrong  
And down the waterfall  
Wherever it may take me  
I know that life won't break me  
When I come to call she won't forsake me  
I'm loving angels instead_

_When I'm feeling weak  
And my pain walks down a one way street  
I look above  
And I know I'll always be blessed with love  
And as the feeling grows  
She breathes flesh to my bones  
And when love is dead  
I'm loving angels instead_

_And through it all she offers me protection  
A lot of love and affection  
Whether I'm right or wrong  
And down the waterfall  
Wherever it may take me  
I know that life won't break me  
When I come to call she won't forsake me  
I'm loving angels instead_

_And through it all she offers me protection  
A lot of love and affection  
Whether I'm right or wrong  
And down the waterfall  
Wherever it may take me  
I know that life won't break me  
When I come to call she won't forsake me  
I'm loving angels instead..."_

**Author's Note: That's the end! What did you think? Ellie has a long name, I know. But I couldn't think of one name. Crazy, crazy me. I like the song though... Hope you enjoyed this last chapter! Thanks so much for joining me on my very first tragedy story. Sorry for those of you who said you cried! Hopefully this ending gave you an ounce of happiness :D**

**_I don't mind spending everyday out on your corner in the pouring rain. Look for the girl with the broken smile, ask her if she wants to stay awhile. And she will be loved, she will be loved... _Reviews? Comments? Click that button!**

**--Lauren :D**


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